That's Right, I'm A Chef!

The blog of Ben Storkamp. Alleged chef, part-time diehard Twins fan, full time television connoisseur.
Known authority on Freshy Freshington, Harold Dieterle and Hells Kitchen.

Monday, June 05, 2006

Reviving the Great Simpsons Project

Why don't we take another shot at this?

Here's the deal. I will run down each season of the Simpsons, one by one, nominating the best episodes from each. At the end, I'll take the nominees and form the final list of the Greatest 50 Episodes of All Time. As this list will have been created by me, it will be the ultimate authority on the subject.

Start with season one, logically enough.

Now I don't think too many people would list season one as their favorite, except maybe pretentious TV critics who haven't enjoyed any shows since we all made the switch to colour televisions. Most people seem to find these episodes a little strange to watch, as everybodys voice (especially Homer) is so different. And obviously the characters were just being formed ande everyone was playing their easily marketed catch-phrase character. Bart you know, was an under-achiever.Nonetheless, all of these eps are pretty enjoyable. Culling the best of the bunch...

Bart the General- Bart forms an army to fight Nelson. Herman the one-armed gun shop owner debuts here, and gets his best bits in. And the Bart-Grandpa-Patton thing is pretty classic.Bart: What's the matter with you, soldier! Boy: It's my nerves, sir. I just can't stand the barking any more. Bart: Your nerves! [slaps the kid] I won't have cowards in my army. Grampa: [whaps Bart] Sorry, Bart. You can push them out of a plane, you can march them off a cliff, you can send them off to die on some God-forsaken rock, but for some reason you can't slap them.Awesome. Also good- The balloons that say Happy Birthday instead of Death From Above, Millhouse setting an important precedent by falling off the monkey bars and this:Herman: How many men do you have?Bart: None.Herman: You'll need more.

Krusty Gets Busted- Sideshow Bob frames Krusty for robbery. It's the episode that introduced Krusty, my mostest favorite supporting character, as a villain. This will ultimately lead to what I am already pretty sure will be number one on my list. And that alone should be worth something. And I know you can't watch the scene where Bart realizes it was Bob that comitted the robbery without standing and cheering. What, you can? Oh.Oh.Bart: Dad, you're giving in to mob mentality!Homer: No I'm not, I'm hopping on the bandwagon! Now come on, son, get with the winning team!

Life on the Fast Lane- Marge almost has an affair with a bowler. I include it here because the ending is maybe the sweetest love scene in the shows history. Otherwise, I can't think of any great bits off the top of my head.

I think that will do for Season One. Later seasons will be much more crowded.